Bonfire
by burntpaperplanes
Summary: Inari is a woman who does not like wasting time, not at all, but as she chose to take the short-cut through the Higurashi shrine one late evening she never believed it would have such disastrous effects. Now Inari has to deal with being stuck in the feudal era, the fact that her mother was a demon and that someone desperately wants her dead. [OC/Sesshomaru] [Rated T for now].
1. Prologue

**A/N: So, this is a re-write of one of my old fanfiction's which I had on another account, one which I had been planning to re-write for some time. And finally, it's here! For those who are reading my other fanfics I'm soon going to update those as well but unfortunately the two douments I was supposed to upload got erased and that kinda killed my muse for a while. Fuck this site sometimes. Really.**

 **At any case though, please enjoy this prologue!**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha or any of it's characters or plot.**

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 _ **Warning: this fic will contain blood gore and perhaps eventual sex, so those who are faint of heart or too young, please leave. I am going to update the rating soon but for now it stays on T unless anyone complains.**_

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 **Prologue**

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The mountain Chôkai.

Backed by a grey storming sky the great volcano rose like a lone beacon of light in the middle of a snowy doom. A mighty sierra reaching for the sky while the ground beneath seemed to be torn downward into depression by some invisible force. It was a sight some would call holy. A place where the gods reached for mortal lands. And others, who perhaps knew of it's true inhabitants, would name it the work of devils. Where demons came to attempt the overthrowing of gods. The dying soldier, a king reduced to something lower than a beggar, had to agree with those who thought the latter. As his life slowly slipped away like sand between his fingers he could do nothing but to condemn the damned mountain for his failure. Surely it was none but the mountain's fault. It and it's infernal rulers.

For centuries the soldier had dreamed of this place finally being brought to it's knee by his prowess. A few decades ago he had started the preparations of that feat. But much like anything else he had ever tried in his life, it seemed this deed was to go unfulfilled as well. Another dream lost to the abyss of sleep - though this time it would be eternal.

A hiss escaped the soldier's throat as the blade piercing his stomach was twisted cruelly and then thrust further through his body. Burning hot steel worming itself through his flesh and bones, then eventually meeting the gravel on the ground he lay on, in a way that made the soldier want to cry out. Only what little pride he had left hindered those screams from being voiced. Instead the soldier masked his pain with a twisted smile as he gazed up at his foe. His eyes, tired and ready to close for the last time, meeting intimidating red ones. They looked at him as though he were an insect.

"Curse you, blood of the north-western fire!", the soldier croaked out between grit teeth. Snarling as his foe once again twisted the blade with sadistic self-satisfaction. A smile one might have thought to be beautiful at any other time stretched upon the warrior woman's lips and she heaved out an exhausted breath.

"You have lost, Gaenki", the woman said and her smile turned into a mocking grin, white teeth stained with a few droplets of blood after their destructive battle.

The sight made the soldier's own smile widen in return. His blood stained teeth gleaming in the gloom of the twilight's last rays of sunlight as he silently laughed at his predicament. No matter that his sword had been coated in poison. No matter that he should have been more skilled with the blade than the cursed she-devil, he had lost. A thousand men against five hundred and the soldier had still managed to lose the war. Surely fate's cruel irony was behind this, the soldier mused. For even as his army had managed to break and massacre the five hundred men always vigilantly standing in protection of the mountain, a thousand men were now lying dead or dying at the foot of it along with the five hundred. All of their blood painting the powdery snow beneath their bodies red.

It was rage fueling - that he had lost so much in so little time. The mountain kneeling at his feet had been just out of the soldier's reach too. Had he pushed a little further. Just a hundred men more and it all would have been his. Surely the men in his army who were dead cursed his very existence at this moment. Lusting for revenge in whatever hell they had ended up in.

"Your clan will be shamed, Gaenki, the atrocities you have committed today with the human bandits are not going to be forgotten. Your clan will be exiled", the warrior woman hissed out as a drop of blood from the wound at her temple dripped onto the soldier's cheek, and for a moment the soldier had the odd sense that he wanted to lick at it like a child with candy. A strange desire he should not even have entertained. But still it festered inside of him along with the overwhelming want to murder this woman. Cut the remaining limbs off of her - after all she had already lost an arm during their battle -, and devour the mountain which was so precious to the woman's clan. The smoldering desire grew into a seething burn as another drop of blood landed just by his mouth, and with all other thoughts clouded the soldier used the last of his strength to grip at the woman's armour's collar. With a force beyond his state the soldier harshly tugged at the woman and yanked her to his eye-level. Their noses were just about touching.

"I will not lose anymore than you, dearest", the soldier coughed out, snarling like an animal as he lapped at the blood by his mouth, "I curse you now, clan of the north-western fire, you and this mountain. Til the end of days your lives will be half, your bodies will decay and my spirit will forever haunt you".

"You damned insect, I will -", the woman snarled and tried to pull herself free of the soldier's grip. It was an effort which devastatingly failed.

"It will be an everlasting sickness upon you", the soldier groaned as the blade at his stomach twisted again, the woman only having a loose grip upon the weapon at this point, "And there will be no cure but death".

The warrior woman grit her teeth and without regard pulled her blade free from the soldier's stomach. Only to savagely thrust it down again. The hot steel pierced the soldier's heart this time, slicing through his armour like it was paper. And he screamed. Something which roughly sounded like laughter. Desperately, and with a maddened look in her eyes, the woman repeated the process again, and again and again. Not even noticing the soldier's slackened grip at her armour's collar. Her blade stabbed at the man's body with only rage in her movements and no precision. And only once the blood splatter managed to soak itself through the parts of her armour which were cloth did she still her movements and with a defeated sob, one which should not have come from someone who had just won a war, the woman sank to her knees. Crying as the heavens turned a deep ebony.

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 **A/N: So, I hope you enjoyed that, I know that at least I enjoyed writing it because of what part it plays later in the fic, but please give me your thoughts and comments, I appreciate any criticism because it will help me grow as a writer!**


	2. Chapter 1

**A/N: Well, this took a long time to wrap up, so sorry about that. School as well as other real life matters kept me miserable and from writing and editing this chapter. It (and all my other fics) have however been on my mind at all times and I am really happy that I can finally post this. And now I finally get to introduce the main character!**

 **My thanks goes to all of those who have favorited and followed "Bonfire" since I posted the prologue, and I would love for any of you to comment as well. Reviews will keep me determined and trigger-happy with my pen.**

 **One thing before start now, I will be using some Japanese words during the whole of this fic and if you do not understand them do not worry, the translations are written at the end of the chapter.**

 **EDIT:** **Made some changes to the time period in this chapter because I finally found a good timeline documentation of the events in Inuyasha!**

 **Now without further ado, here's the first chapter!**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha or any of it's characters and plot.**

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 ** _Warning: This fic will contain blood and gore and some horror elements. If you do not think you can handle any of these things please leave. I will possibly move the rating up to M later if the scenes get too grafic or any complains are issued._**

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 **Chapter 1**

 **The Birth of the Everlasting Night**

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 _A day without sunshine is like, you know, night. - Steve Martin._

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 _Insufferable, good-for-nothing, monkey screwing, shit eating, lecherous bastard_ , Inari thought.

Standing by the edge of the old wooden counter the fat man, curled mustache and big burly nose, leered down at the young woman. A look of the most obvious greed in his eyes, and hand stretched out as though he were begging - though in fact, what he was doing was more of the opposite. Wearing a grey, wrinkled, suit, a black tie hanging loosely around his neck, the man looked much like the loan shark the young adult suspected he was. A man whose personality said; pay me or pay me, your choice. He was not someone Inari took pleasure in knowing. Indeed, she right down despised him at times such as these. But when one was forced upon becoming acquainted with someone like Gaho Masuda, you had little to no options for variables.

"The money, Ms Hinote?", Gaho spoke with that croaky, frog like voice of his. Yellowed teeth glistening in the dim light of the dusty shop as he grinned, and beckoned with his outstretched hand for the reward. The gesture was mocking, and the way he'd spoken reminded Inari of a parent scolding a mischievous child. It spoke of everything she hated about authority figures. And it spoke of men who knew far too much about manipulating businesses to their advantage. She had never stood a chance.

Inari grit her teeth and looked to the counter where her prize lay. The reason she had no variables left. Carefully placed beside the cash register and a few stacks of books - all of them in english - lay a long, slim object wrapped in a heap of white cloth. Looking quite sacred in the dull light of the lamp dangling high above it and surrounded by all objects dirty and grey. It was an ironic thought to be sure, as everything Inari had heard about the ancient sword told more of a curse than a blessing. A dark shadow looming forever above it. Death was said to await any who touched it's blade. A painful one. And even the sheath was believed to bring sickness with it. How fitting that it would fall into the hands of Inari's family then.

Some records of the thing suggested it was haunted, by a blood-thirsty warrior from ages past, while others simply believed it to be a curse uttered by a witch. But being a rather unknown relic of the _Heian_ period that was all to be expected. The few who had even heard of the thing were mostly old superficial men and women. The kind who believed in demons and danced around a fire to please their gods. Inari had met people like those, and at the risk of sounding rude, she did not think them very trusting sources of the matter. Grandfather Soma would be so ashamed of her if he ever knew she thought so. Because Grandfather Soma was one of those men and women.

"100,000 yen, then?", Inari said, her voice coming out as a slight growl despite her best efforts. She shoved her hands into her jacket's pockets, those large ones at the front where she lost everything, rummaging through them until she got ahold of the bundle of bills she had saved for the affair.

The large, black jacket she had borrowed from her mother's old collection was a useful one in mind of Inari's despise for handbags. She enjoyed deep pockets where she could stuff everything from a book to a keychain, and everything in between. In some cases one could even loose things in them as she had discovered this morning. The keys to her apartment were one thing she had thought she'd lost completely during the day, only to later find them lying deep down in the left pocket, underneath a small box of band aids and an old chewing gum paper. It was in that pocket she placed the bills also. The thick bundle of 150,000 yen total. It was not much of a salary for a whole month when she had worked continously, but it was what she lived by. 150,000 yen and she was about to lose more than half of it to an old, useless artifact. Family pride and all that.

"140,000 yen", Gaho spoke, "This is the real _hyakudai no ken_ , no? Ms Hinote, as I just mentioned I could be selling it to the nearest museum and they would offer me a more hefty price".

Inari furrowed her brows. Confusion becoming a domineering expression, until slowly a familiar anger grew and settled heavily within her stomach. This was the third time Gaho had increased the price of the useless blade since the start of their negotiations, and the second time only this half-hour that he had threatened with selling it to whatever museum would pay the most. This was the reason she thought him a _pig_ , _a lecherous bastard_. A manipulator of affairs which she understood badly at best.

"You must be joking, that's practically my whole salary!", Inari hissed, "you god damned bastard". She gripped at the bundle of bills tightly, her knuckles turning white, and with bared teeth, almost snarling like a dog, she took one of the 10,000 yen notes from the lot and threw the rest violently at the grinning man. The bastard knew he had won before he even opened his mouth to propose the new price. He knew it was hardly even a choice for the young adult. And as a safety line he had threatened about the museums. A greedy man would forever be greedy, but this pig had no decency about it at all. Which was most likely why he had investments and contacts in the _Yakuza_. Gaho caught the bundle of bills, barely, and with the look of someone who had just won the lottery he began to count the money. Green slip of paper after the other.

"This is 140,000 yen?", he asked, not looking up from the bills.

Inari nodded and glared heatedly at the fat man.

If only she had not stumbled into the shop drunkenly the day she first saw the sword on display at the storefront. Then she would not have spit out everything she knew about it and it's history. Or the fact that it was a lost family heirloom. Then she would also not have found out about the pig's connection to the crime syndicate and how it could get her into trouble if she was too headstrong about the item. That had been the day of her birthday two weeks back, a lucky coincidence she presumed, and she had just finished a glum celebration of the occasion. Her first glass of _sake_ , raised in honor of her dead mother and father, was bitter sweet. Still she drank another. Then another. And then she had ended up before the storefront, staring longingly at the sword she had then thought to be fake while the owner was caught in a discussion with a local Yakuza member.

Later inspections on the sword had proved it was the real one. So old but so valuable to her family and it's history. It had been rather shocking because Inari had truly thought the relic had rusted away years, maybe centuries past.

"Can I have the damned sword now?", Inari spat. Gaho looked up from his prized money and gave a curt, uninterested nod. Before promptly looking back to his bundle of bills. Now that he had the money he obviously did not care either way. Such was the way with most men. Inari suspected he still saw the old thing as simply that, a useless relic, which while it prompted him to earn some money was nothing more than trash. The thought settled uncomfortably in Inari's mind. Would she come to regret the affair in time? The sword had a rich history connected with the Hinote family, but it had been lost some hundred years ago due to unknown circumstances. It was an important piece of her family's history and thus she could neither let the relic pass her by, nor did she want to give Gaho the satisfaction of seeing her doubt.

With renewed vigor, and heated anger boiling in her stomach still Inari walked up to the counter and gripped the cloth wrapped sword. It smelled slightly of smoke. Much unlike the rest of the store which only gave an odor of old things, sometimes rotten. And this along with the continued sight of the man counting his money made Inari scrunch her nose. This had been an unpleasant meeting. An unpleasant _couple_ of meetings. But if she were lucky Inari might never have to return. Neither for a refund of the relic nor a checkup. She near prayed upon that wish as she gripped the sword tight to her side and finally walked the short way to the entrance. Past an array of old furniture and stacks of books, a strange looking mirror and a few children's toys. As she stood by the door Inari shot a last bitter look to the counter where the fat man stood. His whole figure was cast in shadow due to the lamp's odd placement above his head, and the fact that it was the only one currently lit. Due to this odd lighting the shadow looked almost demonic. A head fitted with horns. How suiting of his person.

Inari opened the large oak door, the bell hanging over it chiming and was about to step outside when the clearing of a throat stopped her. "Just so you are aware, Ms Hinote, the sword is rusted shut, tried to pry it open last week, but it wouldn't budge more than a few inches", Gaho's voice spoke, "I wouldn't count on displaying it anytime soon, if at all".

Inari did not look to the fat man again, but she did let out a chuckle and said; "Do not worry yourself, if I do decide to parade it somewhere I'll be sure to notify you first - then you can pay me the damages of selling me something defect". Without waiting for a reply she then stepped outside into the cold, dark streets of a September claimed Tokyo. Forcefully slamming the door behind her for good measure. The air brought a chill to Inari's skin, forcing itself past her jacket and freezing the naked hand which held the sword - whose other she stuffed into her pocket. She shuddered but tried to ignore it as she took to the right and began her stride home. Longing for the warmth of her heated apartment and a hot cup of chocolate.

Tokyo was a lively city even as night lay heavy upon it and the next day was one which demanded working citizens to wake early. Signs colorfully professing the names of their individual business or restaurant lit up the city more than the street lamps did and honking cars along with their engines filled the air with noise louder than the talking humans passing by. The city's pure life had always comforted Inari, solidarity was a rarity for her to long for, but such was not the case this night. Not even as she strolled past her favorite bookshop and saw it had a sale - she made a mental note to visit it the next day. This was both the fault of Gaho and the chilly temperature, and perhaps the rising dread of having little to no money for the rest of the month. Though Tokyo in September was supposedly not _too_ cold, it seldomly even rained, Inari had always been quick to freeze even still as many others sweated. Thus even this merciful kind of coldness, it was but a gust of a colder wind, kept her humour down as she traversed the populated streets. A sour scowl upon her lips.

It was only once she reached the crossing by the Higurashi shrine, a small temple on top of a hill almost in the middle of the bustling city district, did she stop and let her scowl vanish into a faint memory. The shrine had enticed her since she had moved to an apartment in the area just on the other side of the hill. It was a popular place to celebrate New Years at even as every other day of the year it was near empty. A place which while it held strong historical and tradition based ties it was mostly ignored by the public. The shrine created a mirror image of how Inari felt about her own family's history and how she had neglected it all for almost all her life. It brought her heartache; and this heartache was the reason she had decided to buy the antiquity tonight. Hardly enough of a repayment for the disappointment her negligence had brought her mother in the last years of her life, nevertheless Inari was at this time willing to do anything to avenge that disappointment.

Influenced by the cold and her want to finally walk through her apartment's door and into the warmth and comfort of her home, Inari quickly looked left and right, and then crossed the street separating her from the hill. Lucky the street was presently empty. She headed straight toward the stairs leading up to the old shrine. The stairs which looked like they stretched on forever, surrounded by a small thicket of trees. It was a shortcut she had used many times before when she had felt that she didn't want to walk all the way around the large hill and then some more through the streets leading up to the one she lived on. Which was already far away as it was - and Inari did not own a car. The old someplace cracked flight of stairs scrunched under her feet as she began to ascend it and Inari slowly felt her foul mood evaporate. Though she was now walking through more darkness - as the shrine only had few lights and none of them by the large staircase. The shrine was a familiar place although she did not pray nor know the family who owned the area. It was a comfort, and once Inari reached the top of the stairs she even felt a smile grace her lips. Soon she would be home.

The shrine grounds on top of the hill was well kept; gravel, grass and dirt all properly mowed, raked and swept into near perfect condition. As though the keepers of the shrine were expecting guests. This late in the night during a weekday Inari knew that would not be the case. Ahead of where she stood the large courtyard opened itself up. A place which she knew to be as beautiful as a drawing. White marble ground and well trimmed bushes by the side of the fences surrounding the grounds. Yet all Inari saw was faint outlines as the darkness around her shrouded the place. What little light there was came either from the lively city whose light seemed like an invasion to the old area, and the badly lit, small, lamp posts scarcely scattered around the courtyard. And it was far from enough to illuminate even a third of the shrine grounds.

With a sigh Inari strode forward.

Other than the light, the sounds accompanying the life of the city had blended into background noise, veiled to Inari's ears as she walked through the courtyard aiming for the forest on the other side of the hill. There there would be a small trampled path which lead back into the city and almost directly to the street where she lived. The path was one she had found when she visited the shrine on a New Year's eve five years ago. When her mother had still been alive. Utanagi Hinote had loved the shrine even as Inari had found every visit a bother. Ironic that she would now come to love walking through the calm area.

Inari kicked a pebble which lay at her feet and it bounced against the ground twice before finally hitting a small shed by the right side of her. It made a small 'clank' noise before falling defeated to the ground. The sight enticed her even if it was such a simple one and she found herself stopping to a halt. Staring at the small stone as her head got lost elsewhere. She tended to do that, daydreaming. At opportune moments and inopportune alike. She had started to do so because of her mother's sickness and all the misery it had brought the family. When she had wanted to be elsewhere. And it seemed the habit was one hard to get rid of. Even tonight it took the howling of the wind, and a sharp pain piercing the hand clutching the sword to drag her out of her dreaming.

Inari let out a grunt of agony, and with wide eyes stared down at the thing which had burnt her. The sword. Hissing and smoking there was a hole in the cloth wrapped around the relic. Right where she had a grip on the thing. It looked as if it had caught fire - but of course there was none. Only the ash as black as a crow's feather falling to the ground from the cloth spoke of the nonexistent fire. That and the burning pain at her hand.

The agony lasted for but a few heartbeats, but once it had halted the sword burned Inari again. A second discharge of pain which felt like knives were carving out the flesh in her hand. She moaned and grit her teeth. Yet when she made for dropping the sword it was impossible. Her hand had frozen up. Unmovable. As had the rest of her body.

And then the panic settled in.

"W-what the -", Inari heaved out, short of breath, but as she spoke her lips felt numb. As though she had not moved them for years. She desperately tried to flex her fingers, those on the hand in her pocket or the one holding the sword, but to no avail. Then she willed her feet, her toes to move - nothing. She was completely paralyzed.

The pain in Inari's hand faded once again. Becoming nothing but a small itch a second time before a third painful throb invaded her skin. Like a pulse. Sharp as knives pulses which had somehow burned through the fabric of the cloth without her noticing. This third time she could even see the object rattle as it burned her. Shaking her hand and quickening her heartbeat to the point of it being painful. The hissing she had heard the first time it had attacked her returned tenfold, buzzing loudly in her ears. Drowning out all other sound while Inari could not look away from the cloth which encased the cursed relic.

The world around Inari swam, colors and shapes moving on their own, mixing, making her dizzy, as the panic and fear settled even deeper inside her being. How come she couldn't move? _Move goddamn it!_ Inari wanted to scream, yet what came out was but a squeak of fright - as her feet shifted and then finally moved.

She would have cheered in relief had her feet only acted upon her command.

Shocked, and now with every part of her being shaking terribly, Inari watched her own feet, her legs, move her body forward. Limping toward the shed beside her with great difficulty though she had never commanded her body to do so. Even as she felt her muscles strain with every move - from what she did not know. Her body moved jerkily, and with a strange angle in mind of where it seemed she was headed as she still was turned toward the forest and the path which lead to the house. There was another stab of pain against her hand, and at that moment Inari lurched toward the shed. Finally facing the supposed destination, but at what cost?

Inari was slammed, face first, against the wooden sliding-door at the entrance of the shed. Like a rag doll being tossed aside by a tantrum throwing child. Her head exploded in pain at the impact, but whatever was controlling her wouldn't show any mercy. Rather it caused her more pain as her free hand moved hurriedly out of her pocket and began to claw at the side of the door. Supposedly searching for leverage so it could force the thing open. Inari regretted then ever having caught the habit of biting at her nails - a nervous tick - because due to that it did not take long for the tips of her fingers to bleed against the splinted wood. Before her hand managed to find the edge of the door from where it could be slid open a trail of red had already been painted along the side of it. It was disgusting yet Inari had no time to reflect upon the picture before her own arm forced the door open with a 'crack' and her body was once again lurched forward. Yet another shot of pain burning at her hand in the meanwhile.

The inside of the shed was pitch black. Like a dark abyss waiting to swallow her up. And as she fell to the wooden floor Inari noticed that the inside was not at all like that of a shed's. In fact it was more like that of a shrine's. Empty, except for _something_ placed in the middle of it. The darkness was too smothering to make out what that was however. The only thing that could be seen was a faint outline.

Groaning as her body was forced to it's feet, her muscles screaming in protest, Inari felt more than heard the buzzing subdue just slightly. It grew into a modest humming instead. One which rattled the ground underneath her feet, and soon it was accompanied by something which sounded like a tongue clicking. The sound made Inari's blood run cold. Because there was no doubt that the sound came from somewhere inside the from the place right in front of where she stood.

Wanting more than ever to run as far away from the shed as possible Inari heaved out breath after agonized breath as she fought against whatever was controlling her. She wanted to scream at her feet to not move. But unfortunately her throat would not let out a sound beyond the whine of a dying dog, nor did her legs listen. They had taken on a life of their own. It was disturbing. She was moved forward so haphazardly, more sluggishly than any other time, it looked as though the bones in her leg had been broken. Her legs drove her down a short flight of stairs. Seven steps and then the ground beneath her feet changed to soil. Earth like that of a graveyard.

The thought coupled with the panic racing through her every part made Inari queasy, so very queasy that once again her vision swam into dark unnatural shapes, and she almost even lost her footing. Had it not been for the puppeteer pulling at her strings. She stumbled forward drunkenly and when she was almost certain she would fall something hard impacted with her stomach. Inari gagged. Feeling the food she had eaten during the day rise to her throat. It was so very disgusting. One heartbeat away from puking Inari felt her free hand moving about on top of the squarely object she had collided with. Searching for something much like it had by the door. She could not watch the movements. It was too morbid and she felt too sickly to avert her eyes from the middle of the object. Feeling tears stream down her cheeks. The object was hollow, and opened up into an even darker abyss than the shed first had. It was from within that hollowness that the clicking sound came. And it was moving closer.

The sixth stab of pain against the hand holding onto the sword was her undoing. It happened within a heartbeat. But for a moment it was as though Inari could feel someone standing behind her. Then the clicking also came from behind her. And then she fell. Down into the dark abyss. Swallowed by something so black and nightmarish she could not even make a sound. Not the slightest squeak.

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Kagome was humming a tune she had once heard her mother sing, as she walked down the path to the Bone Eater's Well. The song was one she had heard many times before, but could not seem to remember the lyrics to. It was a reminder of home however and Kagome found herself humming to it whenever and wherever she wanted for the future and her family. Time travel was such a strange thing see. Because while she traveled to the 1500s the same amount of time she spent there was lost to her in the future. Thus when she lost time traveling through Japan four hundred years past she sang. To remind her that while she was busy trying to right wrong's in the _Sengoku_ period she did have a safe home to return to - four hundred years from then.

The reason Kagome sang this night was homesickness.

The night was cocooning everything around her in a humid darkness, from the thick forest surrounding the path Kagome was walking along to the small clearing slowly presenting itself before her. The only meager light which illuminated the way forward was the one from the cluster of stars above her head - shining impossibly bright compared to those she had seen in the 20th century. It was a calm evening, and even the winds seemed to be taking a break for once, which Kagome appreciated. There were few moments nowadays when she could breathe in the air and simply relax. Mostly due to the revelation that demons did in fact exist; not to mention time travel. In her mind the sole fact that the air in the Sengoku period was fresher felt like a trip to the spa.

Kagome inhaled the air smelling of earth and her lips quirked up into a smile. Everything was good however. She and her small group of assembled companions had yet again survived a brush with death and while she was beyond tired - exhausted was closer to what she was feeling but it still wasn't quite right -, her companions, friends, helped keep her spirits high. _Perhaps one person especially_ , Kagome thought and glanced back at the one friend who had accompanied her through the short walk. Inuyasha. The _Hanyô_ , half-demon, who had inexplicably saved her life when she for the first time had stumbled out of the Bone Eater's Well and landed on a grassy field four hundred years from her time.

He had been the first strange sight she had seen that day - save the centipede monster which she did not want to reminisce about - and one she had come to associate with safety during the last couple of weeks. A strange sight of fluffy silver hair, so long it reached his tailbone, oddly alluring amber eyes and a pointed nose which could distinguish smells from miles away. He was a hanyô with the ears of a dog. And when she had first seen him Kagome had fondled those very ears.

The memory made Kagome's cheeks heat up, and she was sure they were shaded just a little red. How embarrassing. She dearly hoped that the dog demon would not ever know of that small act of curiosity. He would throw a tantrum if he ever got wind of it.

"So, for how long?", Inuyasha muttered, breaking the ten minute long silence which had lasted between them since the pair had left the small village beyond the forest. He sounded quite bored as he talked, if not a little annoyed. Still it was nothing unusual. Inuyasha did not often like her going back home to her time - even if it was just for a short while.

"Just a day, maybe less", Kagome sighed, "Lord Miroku needs to rest for a while and I am all out of first aid appliances".

Miroku was another one of her and Inuyasha's companions, a monk - a lecherous one at that - who had been cursed by an especially dangerous demon whom the group was currently hunting. The curse laid upon the monk was one passed down from his grandfather, who had personally met and fought the demon - around the same time at which Inuyasha and his beloved had been tricked and supposedly killed by the very same demon.

A hole in his left hand, one which sucked in everything in it's path, was what Miroku's curse entailed, and unless the demon was killed soon that curse would swallow the monk whole. Like a black hole consuming everything in it's wake. Unfortunately the hole in the monk's hand had recently been wounded and Miroku was in need of rest. Thus the group could for the moment not continue their hunt for the demon nor his allies.

Inuyasha grunted. A dismissive and bored reply which Kagome had come to accept as the only reply she would receive when the hanyô was annoyed - that or a temper tantrum. Again it caused Kagome to sigh. The whole affair with the demon was a nasty one and it caused her enough stress and worry to last a lifetime. Other than hurting Inuyasha and Miroku this demon had also just recently brought about the death and massacre of the Demon Slayers' Village. The only survivor of that massacre had a few days ago joined ranks with them and with her she had carried a fierce desire of revenge. Sango was the name of that survivor, and together with her faithful two tailed cat, Kirara, she was a valuable asset to their effort of bringing about this demon's end. It was a sad mess they all had landed smack in the middle of. And Kagome was especially afraid of where it would end.

At this time there was only one of their companions who could without difficulty keep up the appearance of unadulterated happiness. The fox demon child Shippo was too young to properly worry about everything which was occurring, even if he was not completely naive, and at days when Kagome felt like she simply wanted to head home and curl under the covers of her bed Shippo was a ray of sunlight. Much like the fresh air in this era his presence was reminiscent of a long forgotten calmness. One Kagome longed for in the light of all which had happened. Since the day Kagome had emerged from the well which brought about her time traveling she had seen more than her fair share of death and destruction. And it was taxing on her psyche no matter how well she put on a face of enthusiasm and happiness.

The field where the Bone Eater's Well was built in the middle of revealed itself in earnest then, and Kagome grinned wholly. Despite the smothering darkness, the grass and all else which grew on the field were perfectly apparent. There flowers and weed grew together in a beautiful chaotic mess. A number of lavender even grew along the thin trampled path leading straight up to the well. It was Kagome who had formed the path due to the many times she had walked along the same road traveling between home and the past. And this night the place painted an especially charming picture, among other things because of the fireflies fluttering about all around the field.

Kagome had always adored fireflies. As a child she had thought them to be fairies - like those from western fairy tales - and when she had learned how that was not the case she had been sorely disappointed. Still the admiration she held for the small creatures of light had lasted; and as she saw one of them land on top of one of the well Kagome gladly rushed forward. Halting just short of the well Kagome crouched down and gazed lovingly at the firefly. It was so small, yet so pretty. She reached out her hand to it, cautiously as she was afraid to scare it away, and waited to see if it would take the bait. It did - and the small thing fluttered onto her hand and stayed there. It felt as though very tiny feet were standing on her middle finger, four tiny feet and two antennas feeling their way forward. Kagome beamed at the small creature as it rambled around on her finger - it's back casting an eerie glow over her hand. She was about to call for Inuyasha to; _Come and look!_ When the rustling of feet against grass and leafs sounded right behind her. The sound scared the firefly away and Kagome pouted as it flew to it's brethren hovering nearby.

"You scared it away...", Kagome muttered and rose from the ground. Glaring at the hanyô now standing right behind her. Inuyasha ignored her. Instead he was sniffing the air, his brows furrowed in concentration and he was frowning. That expression never lead to anything good.

Kagome was about to ask what had him so worried when Inuyasha beat her to the point; "It smells like fire, or soot", he said with that kind of voice which always had Kagome worried.

"Soot?", Kagome asked. Cautiously she looked about. Still there was no fire anywhere, not even a suspicious orange light somewhere beyond the treetops, and Kagome could not for the life of her smell the soot Inuyasha spoke of.

Then Inuyasha looked to the well, and his eyes widened.

"It's coming from the well, it's a demon...but something is off", Inuyasha muttered. Walking over to the edge of the well as his hand slid to the sword at his hip, fastened by his large red robe made of fire rat. He leaned over the railing and looked down into the dark abyss within. Kagome knew not if even he could see anything down there due to the immense darkness.

"Is it dying or -", Kagome asked as she started to fidget. She had thought this evening would be a calm one. Lady luck was never kind to them but she had desperately hoped they would not be disturbed today. Joining Inuyasha in his tries to distinguish whatever it was lying at the bottom of the well Kagome felt her heartbeat skip as she saw an obscure shape at the bottom. There was not enough light to see more than a distant outline still.

"There's no fire, so why does it is smell like there is one?", Inuyasha muttered and leaned further down still. As if it would help him see beyond the darkness.

At that moment another firefly fluttered past Kagome's head and down into the well. Bringing it's uncanny glow with it. The light was not bright. It was less than was desired even. But it did manage to make out something of what was lying at the bottom. And it was something alive. The firefly landed upon the cheek of the being, and Kagome furrowed her brows.

"Inuyasha…", Kagome mumbled quietly, "that is a woman...one from my time".

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 **Japanese words of this chapter:**

 _ **Heian** **(period):**_ the heian period was an era between the years 794 - 1185

 _ **Hyakudai no Ken:**_ Sword of a hundred Generations

 _ **Yakuza:**_ The Japanese Mafia

 _ **Sake:**_ Japanese alcohol made out of rice

 _ **Sengoku (period):**_ An era of war between the years of 1467 - 1603

 _ **Hanyô:**_ Half Demon

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 **A/N: I hope you enjoyed the read, please review and tell me what you thought!**


	3. Chapter 2

**A/N: Wow, a scheduled update! That's rare! Yup, yup it is. But I was sick, so school wasn't an issue as I wrote this which is why the update was so quick, I hope I can keep it up but I can't make any promises.**

 **During this chapter we'll explore Inari further, but unfortunately there's no Sesshomaru yet - he's going to have to wait a few chapters, and even longer for the lovey dovey stuff. Sorry. There is going to be an existential crisis ahead, coupled with several panic attacks however, so a warning goes out to that. I just don't think you can come to know that time travel is real, or survive a supernatural encounter, without having your psyche flipped up-side-down and your head slightly fucked. Poor Inari, but it is what it is!**

 **Thank you all for the follows, favorites and the two reviews from "Guest", and "ThePhantominthemists"!**

 **I hope you enjoy this, now here's the chapter!**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha nor any of it's characters or plot. That right goes to Rumiko Takahashi and the animation studios who do own it!**

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 **_Warning: This fic will include blood and gore and psychological traumas to the characters, if you do not think you can handle this please leave. I will move the rating up to M if anyone asks or the scenes become too grafic_**

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 **Chapter 2**

 **Relevations**

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 _It's exhilarating to be alive in a time of awakening consciousness; it can also be confusing, disorienting and painful. - Adrienne Rich._

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When Inari awoke she was certain she was back in the comfort of her home, with the thick winter covers draped over her body and the sun blazing in through the blinds of the window overlooking the busy street beneath. As she opened her eyes she would be met with the sight of her ceiling, the luminous plastic stars plastered upon the white paint, and the smell of blackberry shampoo in her nose. Her alarm would surely come to life soon, screaming it's high pitched tune till she felt her ears bleed and was forced to climb out of the bed. But even as she played make believe with the thoughts Inari knew that was not to be the case. The smell of earth and a burning fire was invading her senses and the softness Inari was lying on was neither as soft as her bed, nor did it smell of blackberries. Bruises she had suffered before her sleep were making themselves painfully known. Bit after bit everything which had occurred was remembered.

And it was a nightmare come to life. Every moment of pain and acute panic came back into the frontmost part of her brain. A horror movie with Inari as the main character. It caused her heart to beat faster, as though she were running, then her breathing came to a halt. The shock too much for her body to handle.

Inari spluttered and coughed. Body trying and failing terribly at regaining her ability to breathe as her mind reeled. Her hands began to shake, and Inari unconsciously grabbed at the softness surrounding her, squeezing it so tight her hands started to ache. It did not help the shaking. Soon her whole body was trembling like a leaf in the wind. She was just about to fall into the dark oblivion of unconsciousness once more when something pushed against her forehead. Something wet and soft. It was not comfortable, and it burned against her skin, but it was enough of an outside force to cause her to breathe again.

"Please calm down", a voice somewhere close, to the right, said, "you are in a safe place, there is no need to fear". The voice sounded old and strained, but kind at the same time. Somewhat like Inari's Grandmother. A woman who had taken care of Inari whenever her mother couldn't, and the woman who had brought about Inari's fascination with history. She was a good woman.

Inari breathed in the smoky air, her body finally coming to a pause as she relaxed a little, and ever so slowly she opened her eyes. " _Ob_ _asan_?", she whispered hoarsely. Tired and somewhat delirious. Her vision was blurry and at first she couldn't make out anything of what she was seeing. There were just masses of brown and grey, and something to the right was blinding her - the fire, she could hear it crackling and hissing. A bird was chirping not too far from where she lay.

"I'm sorry, I am not your grandmother, child", the kind voice spoke again, "My name is Kaede and you are in my village".

Village? Blinking, Inari's eyes adjusted enough to see, but what she could look at was not much. An old wooden ceiling stared back at her, reminding her of the shed's wooden floor, and through a slight crack in the woodwork sunlight poured in like the shine of a searchlight. Inari turned her head to the side where the voice came from and there sat an old woman. Slightly reminiscent of the grandmother she had thought the woman to be. The woman was old but not older than Grandmother Hinote, with wrinkles dotting her every curve and wearing an old red and white robe the like of what Shrine Maidens wore some hundred years ago. _Miko_ s they were called. Her hair was grey and tied back in a long ponytail, neatly kept out of the way as she tended to the fire beside her. The eyepatch over the old woman's right eye was her most striking feature. Inari wondered what might have happened to her to prompt such a curious attempt at concealment.

"W-what happened?", Inari asked. Her voice was still hoarse, croaking like a frog, yet she did speak clearer than a whisper. And while her mouth tasted funny, there was a tang of bitterness or acid at the back of her throat, it was a relief she could speak at all. Nevermind the fact that she was alive.

"Inuyasha and Kagome found you last night lying at the bottom of the Bone Eater's Well. You were unconscious and bleeding from your fingers and head. You were very near knocking on the underworld's door, child", the old woman said.

Inari couldn't help but to stare strangely at the woman. Bone Eater's Well? Had she truly bled from her head? She did not even know she had fallen into a well but the old woman did not seem like the kind of person who would lie, there was no reason to lie. The woman must be a member of the Higurashi family. Having found her at the bottom of this supposed well they must have carried her unconscious body out of it and then taken care of her wounds - even if they were minimal. They had even changed her clothes. Instead of the jacket, jeans and t-shirt she donned last night, the only garment she now wore was something which felt somewhat like the robe one would wear beneath the main outer garment of a _kimono_. Of what she could tell she was not so much as wearing a bra underneath it all, but in the very least they had left her with her briefs. The waistband was nudging at her skin, acting as an uncomfortable reminder that she had slept in the same undergarments she had been wearing during the day.

What Inari couldn't understand was why she hadn't been taken to the hospital. Surely it would have been more convenient to leave her in the care of professionals? The hut Inari was lying in was an odd choice to place her also. A small wooden building with seemingly only one room, a fire pit - an old teapot was placed above it, supported by four iron props - in the middle of it and the door leading outside being but a drape made of bamboo. Pots and other old, strange things were placed along the walls and a window, with no glass next to the drapery leading outside. There was a very old stone griddle beside the doorframe also and upon it something was being fried. It smelled very much like fish, and immediately Inari became aware of just how long it had been since she'd eaten last.

As if the old woman had read her thoughts she looked over to the griddle and smiled. "Are you hungry?", she asked. Inari nodded. The old woman rose to her feet with little difficulty, a slight delay as she readjusted her shoulders after what Inari presumed had been quite the while of sitting still while watching over her, then the old woman walked over to the griddle. While the old woman was taking care of the food sizzling upon the old would be stove Inari cautiously tried out how well her body fared. She flexed every part she could flex lying down and took a large gulp of air. Then she sat up. Instantly her body complained. A headache she had not known to be present reared it's ugly head while the wet, soft thing placed upon her forehead, a rag drenched in cold water, fell to the floor. The bruises along her legs throbbed and the shallow wounds upon her hands, whether the ones from the sword or the ones she had gotten from scratching at the shed door, ached as she tried to move into a comfortable position. She found none. Instead Inari had to cope with sitting cross legged and back slightly hunched on top of the faded white _futon_ she had been placedon while her body complained at every slight twitch.

 _It's strange,_ Inari thought and watched curiously as the old woman approached with a wooden serving tray, a traditional meal of rice in a bowl and grilled fish placed upon it, _I don't usually bruise this easy_.

"Thank you", Inari said as the old woman gave her the serving tray, and a pair of chopsticks to eat the meal with. While Inari placed the tray down on the floor by her feet the old woman once again made herself comfortable by the fire. She must have been like Inari when it came to heat because while Septembers were slightly chilly to Inari most would not even consider lighting a fire. But maybe the fire was simply there because it was another method of cooking food. Or in this situation a method of heating water.

Inari looked back upon the meal then, and picked the fish up by it's tail with the chopsticks. She had never been one quite for eating fish in the morning - mostly due to it taking such a long time to prepare and she had a habit of oversleeping - but one could make exceptions when especially hungry. Taking a large bite of the fish Inari shortly found some of her strength returning. Such was the power of a good meal. And as she then continued to eat her way through the meal, savoring every bite as if it would be her last, she absently watched the old woman pour seven cups of tea. Were there other guests arriving soon? She did not know how many members the Higurashi family had, yet the impression Inari had of the small hut said it was an odd choice to meet - and possibly eat breakfast in.

When Inari had finished the meal, leaving only the skeleton of the fish still upon the tray, she was presented with a steaming cup of tea. Smelling of _Sencha_. Inari's favorite sort, save the _Gyokuro_. Smiling in gratitude Inari accepted the cup and stared down into the green liquid. That the room did not have a mirror placed anywhere within it Inari found to be a blessing. Else she would have been horrified already earlier by her disheveled appearance. Her dark orange hair, clipped as short as a boy's and clashing with her tanned skin, was tangled and grimy, there was a speck of dirt by her flat bulbous nose - which she quickly wiped away -, and the squinted, yellow irised, eyes she had inherited from her mother were looking more tired than ever. As though she had not slept in a week. Inari scrunched her nose at the sight and took a big gulp of the hot beverage. It tasted like a good morning. One she was not having this day.

"Oh, dear, I hope you did not burn yourself now, the water was newly boiled", the old woman breathed. She was worried Inari had burnt her tongue, but for the life of her the younger woman could not remember the last time anything had been too sweltering to swallow. The sentiment was appreciated however.

"No worries, Ma'am, I have a high heat tolerance", Inari said and smiled. The tea did warm her throat and it eased the hoarseness she suffered from last night. At the very least she would not sound like a frog when speaking any longer. "Thank you again, I do not completely understand what happened last night, but I presume you are the one who addressed my wounds?", Inari inquired, wondering if perhaps the Higurashis knew something of what happened which she did not.

"I did, but if you are asking if I know anything about how you ended in my care I cannot say, do you not remember what occurred?", the old woman replied. With the same worried tone grandmother Hinote would use whenever Inari did something careless and potentially dangerous. It felt strange to compare this woman to her grandmother, for while they did act alike in this moment there was something distinctively different to Inari's grandmother. An air of pride perhaps. The Hinote family was one riddled with conceited people after all, good people, but very bigheaded.

Inari cleared her throat awkwardly. "I do remember but it doesn't make any sense, and it's going to sound insane if -".

The sentence was cut short by the bamboo drape being moved aside and a very arrogant voice bellowing; "Hey, old hag! Is the demon awake?".

In walked a boy with silvery hair so long it reached his tailbone, yellow angry eyes - almost like Inari's, save the anger -, and ears sprouting out at the top of his head, the like of a dog's - fakes of course. He was clad in the most red of robes she had ever seen and around his neck hung a strange looking, beaded necklace. He was barefoot.

After him followed an entourage of strange people.

There, was a monk with black hair tied into a small ponytail, dark blue eyes which immediately landed upon Inari as he entered the hut, wearing an expensive looking sort of buddhist monk robes - a black kimono and dark purple covering - and sandals made of woven grass. He held a golden pilgrim's staff in his hand, essentially using it as a walking stick. As he turned and whispered something to the brown haired woman beside him Inari saw the golden earrings donning his lobes, they looked very make-shift compared to those she had seen in stores. The woman beside the monk was a very beautiful one. Her long hair was tied back similarly to that of the old woman, a little more loosely but framing her oval face well, and her kind, large brown eyes landed upon Inari also as the monk whispered to her. The woman was wearing something one would not usually see outside of festivals or holidays, a traditional pink-purple woman's kimono with a green skirt - a _mobakama_ \- tied around her waist. She wore arm-guards also, black ones, and the same kind of sandals the monk did.

The last person to enter the hut was another woman but this one Inari did recognize. It was the daughter of the Higurashi family, who's age she didn't know but Inari was fairly certain she was going to the junior high school nearby. Inari had seen, but never properly met, the girl a few times as she had visited the shrine. She was a pretty one too. With somewhat pale skin, large blue eyes and wavy black hair. She was wearing her school's uniform, a white shirt with a green sailor's collar and cuffs, and a green knife pleated skirt. Upon the young Higurashi's right shoulder sat a doll of sorts. A small doll or puppet with auburn-brown, fluffy, hair kept up in a ponytail by a turquoise bow, a round face and pointed ears. Rising up behind the doll was something round and furry, cream-colored, most probably a tail of sorts and it had the feet of some canine animal. It was wearing a blue _hakama_ , traditional trousers, a leaf-patterned, turquoise, robe and a tan vest.

The thing seemed almost life like, the skin appearing alive like any human's, and it's eyes were wide, green, glistening in the daylight. It was only as the thing blinked that Inari saw it was in fact very much alive. And Inari couldn't help but to stare. Her mind shocked into a standstill.

"Inuyasha, do not be so rude!", the old woman quipped. She glared at the canine eared boy and then turned back to Inari, a kind smile once again upon her lips. Inari removed her gaze from the _thing_. "I apologize, the boy is very temperamental", the old woman said and there was a huff from said boy.

"It's good to see that you are okay", the Higurashi girl said. Grinning. She walked up to the side of the small elevation in the floor just by the fire and sat down. The glow of the burning wood casting an orange light upon her skin. It was strange, but Inari could swear there was an edge of nervousness in the girl's tone, as well as in the look of her eyes. The way the girl kept glancing at the temperamental, silver haired boy, who had a constant hand at the sword by his hip - no matter if it was real or not - made Inari uncomfortable.

The old woman then rose to her feet, like before, a slight delay as she readjusted her shoulders, and began to hand the tea cups she had prepared out to the other guests. Only the silver haired boy - Inuyasha - declined. Even the thing sitting on the Higurashi girl's shoulder was handed one, which it happily sipped at as it curiously stared at Inari. It was awkward. But impervious, or simply ignoring Inari's discomfort the strange people soon began to make themselves comfortable in the hut. Sitting down upon desired places - dog boy by the door like a guard dog -, in an awkward circle around the fire. At last the old woman sat down upon her spot, the same as before, and again turned to Inari. Who was by then staring at what was left in her cup of tea. It wasn't much, and it certainly was not hot anymore.

"You were just telling me about what happened last night, do you mind repeating it?", the old woman asked. She fixed Inari with a leveled look, and Inari stared straight back. It didn't take long before Inari had to avert her gaze. "I promise you child, these people are not here to do you any harm".

Inari glanced pointedly at the dog boy - Inuyasha, she should remember that - who was still holding onto the hilt of his sword. Either he was a very paranoid person who would even hold onto a fake weapon as reassurance, or he was doing it out of instinct. Inari prayed the weapon was fake and not a real one.

"You are not all Higurashi's are you?", Inari groaned. She had never seen any of these people save the girl on the shrine grounds. Nor had she heard about there being more keepers than possibly five. It was confusing, but more so it brought her on edge. Last night's nightmarish reality fresh in Inari's mind. After such an experience she was allowed distrust.

"No, that is just me", the Higurashi girl answered with a guilty smile, "but I've seen you by the shrine sometimes. Do you visit often?".

Inari furrowed her brows. "Perhaps. It depends on your definition of often", she spoke cautiously. Inari did not find it pleasant to be suspicious of the girl. She was but a child. Still there was no helping it in Inari's situation. The hut told her nothing, and only made her fear she was not in the place she was supposed to be in - after a long time of thinking about nothing else. And now as the girl had mentioned her being the _only_ Higurashi she felt...tricked.

"I told you, she might have sensed the sacred jewel and stalked you for that time Kagome, or this is not even her", dog boy growled. The sound was near identical to that of a real dog's. How ironic. "Only acting now".

Inari scrunched her nose, likening disgust. "What are you talking about, boy?", she hissed. Familiar Hinote pride leaking through her usually quite sensible demeanor. There was something about dog boy which set her nerves on edge. She felt like a cornered rat in his angered state so near to her wounded form. But a rat will fight even when cornered. Thus she glared at the dog boy, body tensing as if readying to move.

"Don't try to play games, demon", dog boy growled, again. He gripped the handle of his sword tight and seemed ready to draw it. Was it real then? The boy was itching to fight. Restless and essentially brutish as he fingered the handle impatiently. And he had called her a demon. That was both strange and oddly frightening. Was he delusional? Or did he suffer from some sort of mental distress?

"Would you please stop accusing me of being a demon! There is no such thing, and I don't have the patience to deal with insults now, I nearly died and I do not even know how!", Inari snarled. She did not even give the boy the time to answer before she turned back to the young Higurashi. The thing on her shoulder was glaring at Inari now. Ready to burst out shouting, yet it did not look threatening at all. As the thing opened it's mouth Inari leveled the creature with a heated glare. She did not want to hear it speak. The thing squeaked and jumped down from the shoulder it sat on before hiding behind the girl's back. Still trying to glare and act frightful from it's hiding place. Inari then shifted her gaze back to Higurashi, fiddling at the hem of her robe as the anger burned in her stomach.

"I apologise that I am acting very rudely, but I want to know why you did not take me to the hospital and why the Higurashi shrine is suddenly taking in strangers to watch over someone injured!", she seethed. The stress of yesterday's events were affecting her again, though she noticed it only slowly. While the wet rag lay useless by her crossed feet Inari's headache continued to throb without showing any signs of stopping. Her breaths were becoming shallow once more and something hot burned in her throat - through that burning never hurt.

Higurashi averted her eyes from Inari's and stared guilt ridden into her tea cup. Not answering the older woman's questions. It was obvious she was keeping secrets. Ones she wanted to tell but couldn't. And it was infuriating. "I'm sorry, but this isn't the shrine grounds", Higurashi mumbled.

Inari jerked. Her eyes widened, and it seemed her heart had stopped beating. _What_? Eyes losing focus Inari put the cup down beside her, hands shaking. She had the thought in mind of standing and quickly absconding when the old woman's large hand landed on her right shoulder. Inari watched the woman study her. Eyeing the effect the stress had on her body, and it did nothing to calm Inari down.

"Please Miss, though I do not know much about a demon's health you are putting a strain on your body", the old woman spoke. But it was enough to kindle the burning anger in her stomach. Another one calling her a demon. Inari's heartbeat returned and thundered in her ears. This was insane. The old woman had acted so reasonable and yet...Inari grit her teeth.

"And you cannot blame lady Kagome for anything that happened", the brunette woman grumbled. She was also glaring at Inari, a hidden caution and distrust in her eyes which seemed older than her years. The woman sounded sad as she spoke, as through a horrible misfortune had befallen her prior to this meeting. Inari cared little about it. The monk nodded his agreement to the woman's words but stayed quiet.

"I have to go home", Inari snapped and left all regard to her injuries forgotten. She shakily moved her legs from their crossing, inhaled sharply, and tried to stand. As she rose to her feet however something in her left leg gave out, and she fell. There was a shocked gasp. Then Inari could feel the comforting heat of a fire against her right hand. By mere chance, and a little bit of bad luck, Inari had tried to soften the blow of the inevitable impact to the floor with her hands. But she had been falling forward, and in the process her right hand had landed right in the fire.

 _Shit!_ Inari immediately removed her hand from the blazing embers, as though it had actually burnt her. Naturally it hadn't. Inari had never once in her life been burnt by the heat or flame, save last night. Still then it had been a sword which had scorched her, and not any primary source of the element. She fell back onto the futon, breathing heavily, and held the supposed burnt hand out in front of her. Enticed as well as panicked. Some of the flames from the fire pit had followed her, clinging to her hand like a child holding on to his mother. This had occurred many times before, but never in front of people. And her mother had always told her, warned her, that nothing good would come from revealing their gifts to anyone outside of family. _They might deem you a demon, an abomination_ , she had said before hugging Inari tight. That had happened as she had been five, and now those words were coming back to haunt her.

"Oh Goodness", the old woman gaped. Her one eye wide and fixated on Inari's hand. She was not the only one staring either, although it did seem that she was the only one concerned. The other people were guarded. Acting as though Inari was about to go berserk. It was ridiculous, but it caused Inari's mouth to dry up. Tasting of anxiety. The dog boy had even drawn a portion of his sword. It's metal was glistening in the firelight. She didn't want to give him further delusioned cause to attack.

"I'm alright", Inari breathed. Putting on a mask of make believe anguish. Fire was supposed to burn, to severely hurt, and thus she tried to mimic what she had possibly expressed last night. Certainly it would not help if her hand continued to burn, nevertheless it wouldn't hurt to try. Hopefully. Swiftly she moved her hand out of sight, behind her back. Concurrently trying to fan out the flames. But damage done couldn't be taken back.

"So, you're some sort of fire demon", dog boy asserted, self satisfaction leaking from his words.

Inari scoffed. "Right. And you are a chihuahua demon?". Slouching on the futon as her left hand fidgeted along the hem of her robe.

Higurashi snorted, and broke out giggling. Strangely she was the only one. The monk, the brunette, the old woman and even the thing had quirked eyebrows and were looking strangely at the girl. While Inari thought it had been a horrible joke, brought upon by anxiety and panic, she did not believe it should have caused confusion.

"What's a Chihua - a shichi - the thing", the thing said. Fear forgotten, it was gazing curiously at Inari, with a brow quirked and eyes glistening curiously.

"It's a dog, a small one about your size with pointy ears and a high-pitched bark. Little to no bite, but very temperamental", Inari explained, and realized too late that she had talked to the thing. Withering, it felt as though she had violated something holy. She scrunched her nose, hastily looking away from the thing. Alternatively she tried to concentrate on putting the fire on her hand out. Waving it frantically.

"Well, it does fit", the monk spoke. He was gazing at the dog boy - who was seething -, with a subtle smile on his lips. The man was absolutely taking pleasure in seeing the dog boy frustrated, like a brother would laugh as he teased his sibling, and he made no attempt to hide it. He took a gulp of his tea, while his lips quirked into a smirk.

Dog boy growled. "Don't agree with her, she's a demon". He had holstered his sword, but didn't try to hide the fact that he was very willing to draw it again. Inari had never met a person so enthusiastic to glare, and see the worst in people.

"Inuyasha, you are a demon as well, do not act so conceited", the old woman argued. She acted somewhat angered by dog boy's insistence to insult Inari, and though she was kind, Inari couldn't imagine why. None in the room trusted her, and although dog boy was the sole person acting upon his grievances, the old woman took the time to be kind about the situation. She and possibly Higurashi.

"But we don't know _her_ motives!", dog boy snarled, pointing a sharp nailed finger at Inari. His angry gaze redirected to the old woman.

Inari scowled. "You mean the motive I have for falling down a well and nearly killing myself, yes, please tell me what it is you think I want done". Inari pointed to her bruised, naked, feet with her right hand. It had burnt out by then - leaving the hand feeling strangely cold for a moment. "I can't even stand as it is".

The dog boy insinuated he had nothing more to say as he glowered at the right side wall, and completely ignored everything else in the hut. Including Higurashi, who sighed, a sad puff of air, while she watched the dog boy childishly pout. It was obvious she was used to the boy's character, but that did not seem to make his actions any more lovable.

"She does have a point Inuyasha", the brunette quipped. She was smiling, and like the monk she appeared to take pleasure in seeing the dog boy frustrated, again like a sibling teasing her brother. It dawned then on Inari just how much like a family these people were acting. And instantly she sympathised with their animosity.

A family was private. It kept secrets, and it was safe. Though it was not by choice Inari had invaded that safety.

"Then, could you possibly tell us what happened to you child? So that we may also help you travel home", the old woman inquired. She was smiling again. That smile which reminded Inari or her Grandmother. It was very unfair of the woman to use that smile.

Inari sighed, and looked to the wooden ceiling. "It is going to sound insane, but if you truly want to hear…". Collectively all of the people in the hut, save dog boy, nodded. "Last night I was walking home, taking a shortcut over the Higurashi shrine grounds after I had bought an old antiquity a few blocks away, when I suddenly couldn't move and -". Inari felt an involuntary shudder rake her body, and she shifted her eyesight to her lap. "Then it started to move on it's own...my body that is, and I couldn't do anything to stop. Whatever was controlling me made me move into the shed, or I suppose it was a well house, and then pushed me into the well".

Inari stared silently at the hands in her lap. Brows furrowed in confusion. Nothing made sense even as she retold the story. She hadn't been drinking, nor did she ever get exposed to drugs. What she had experienced last night was supernatural and thus…

"Impossible", the monk muttered. He mumbled something else under his breath - which Inari could not hear -, and turned to stare at Inari. Confusion apparent, and very well irritating.

"Yes, I am aware of that". Inari growled and looked at the monk. "But what I told you is true, it is what I experienced last night, and I was _not_ under the influence of alcohol nor drugs".

The monk knit his brows, and smiled consolingly. "You misunderstand me Miss, what I commented on was the fact that possessing demons is difficult for even the most dangerous of creatures. Not to mention I sense no demonic or spiritual energy from you other than your own. This thing left no trace".

Inari wanted to laugh, and could barely hold back the snicker which threatened to arise from her throat. The monk was talking very much like the people in those ghost-hunting television shows she had once found amusing to watch. Only he acted more experienced than they even had. The tension in the room was palpable, and it made the sole thought of laughing feel insensitive, possibly self-destructive, as there was no delight found in any of the strange people's expression. There was only somber understanding.

"That story doesn't explain however why you came upon those bruises and wounds", the brunette said, massaging her temple with an agitated thoughtfulness. She seemed very much a scholar trying to solve a complicated math equation with that expression. "Forgive me but most demons are resilient to any injury. A fall from the well...it shouldn't be enough to cause you such harm".

Inari scowled. The deep rooted irritation - which had previously burned to anger -, returned. Still they were insistent on calling her _demon_. Abomination was almost preferable at this point. She knew she was unnatural, and more than aware was she that her family was both strange and quite impossible, but even with those peculiar features words hurt. Inari tried to ignore the minor heartache she felt, while supplying these people with more information. Although she could not properly pinpoint why she was doing such a thing.

"...I do not know actually. As I was falling I lost consciousness and I didn't experience the landing". Inari bit at her lower lip, mindful of what she would reveal next. "...There was a presence though. It was standing behind me before I was pushed, and I could practically feel it breathing down my neck".

There was a pause. But it didn't take even a heartbeat thereafter for the thing to voice his opinion of the matter again. His voice a squeak of a sound. "...That's scary", it said, with the most horrified of expressions. A silent moment of agreement passed.

"Then, what are we going to do now?", Higurashi groused. She was frustrated. As were many others.

"I do not truly know", the monk was watching Inari again. Searching for...something, but Inari couldn't figure out what. "This is a malevolent spirit, or possibly a demon, and we know next to nothing about it". Then the monk looked to the brunette, asking her for answers. "Sango, have you ever heard of something like this?".

The brunette shook her head. "I am a demon slayer, Master Monk, and not very familiar with spirits".

Inari sighed. There was nothing more for her here. Demons, Monks and demon slayers. If Inari wasn't so hurt, and she couldn't feel the throbbing of her bruised legs at every second as well as the dull pain from the headache, she might have thought she was dreaming. It certainly played out like one. "You all can do whatever it is you want to, but I have to head home", she professed. She was supposed to eat dinner with her grandparents, those from her mother's side, tonight. And the event wasn't something she was willing to forgo.

There was an array of protests as she moved to stand again. A "Your injuries are not healed yet!", from the old woman, and a "Please wait!", from Higurashi. But Inari had no intention of listening. Her legs shook terribly, and sweat stuck to her skin, nevertheless despite the protests her body made she managed to rise to her feet. And even as standing was making her quite queasy, Inari wanted to cheer at the small victory.

"The wounds will heal", Inari stated. As stubborn as the day she was born.

The old woman shook her head, a worried sigh leaving her lips. "Then at the very least you will borrow a wet rag for your forehead". She stared pointedly at Inari's sweaty forehead and then at her quivering legs. "You have a severe fever".

Inari knit her brows. "A….fever?", Inari asked. She touched the palm of her right hand against her forehead, and though it was sweaty, she did not fear an indication of having a fever. Truthfully Inari had not even known she could get a fever. The reverse was what happened when she became sick - a coldness unlike anything swept her body during those few times -, but never had she been too warm. At least not according to Mother. "That's my natural temperature...I believe. It's a family trait...".

The dog boy was already smirking before he opened his mouth. "Demon...", he sang. Tone so amused Inari thought he might burst out laughing. If he did she felt she would throw something at him. Anything to shut him up for once.

"I am not!", she growled. The sound so feral Inari thought it might have come from a beast. "Demons do not exist and even if they did you have no proof to accuse me of such!".

Dog boy scoffed, and crossed his arms, before with an arched brow he spoke. "The fire, it doesn't burn you, and I would bet anything you get sickly from cold water and snow, no?".

Inari was stunned to silence, but she did grit her teeth in anger. The boy was absolutely right, and she absolutely despised it. How come he had known that? It was a family secret just as guarded - if not more -, than the fact that fire didn't burn them and that they had a higher body temperature than normal. That was why the Hinotes had a private doctor. Hospitals wouldn't know what to do with their bodies.

The boy then continued his rant. "How about the fact that your eyes are strangely yellow? It's an unusual eye color for a human.

" _I am not a demon!_ ".

The shout was Inari's, yet at the same time it wasn't. So angry and grief stricken was the sound she didn't recognize it as her own. It sounded like the wail of a ghost, and truth to be told she had never felt so frustrated. Sadness, that was a very familiar emotion, but this grade of frustration was something entirely new. Why was the boy being so insistent? Even as the rest of the room became quiet after the shrill shout he didn't let up.

"If I'm not mistaken you received those abilities from one of your parents". He sneered. "And while you as a kid were wondering why the other couldn't do the things you could, why she could be burnt and hurt by things you couldn't be hurt by, why she was growing older so fast, you were told to keep your talents secret".

Once again the boy had stunned Inari to silence. It was uncanny. She could do nothing but to stare at him as he recounted the things she had experienced through life in eerie accuracy. There was the time her mother had first showed her how flames did not burn them, and the time Inari had accidentally burned father and she couldn't understand why. It was too personal of an experience yet dog boy had known - even if the details weren't there. Instead he had spoken with his own words and somehow his own ordeal. Had he had a similar childhood? There was a 'she' in place of Inari's 'he'. A mother rather than a father.

"Inuyasha stop being so rude!", the sound of Higurashi's harsh, scolding voice jerked Inari from her distressing trance. Still she couldn't do anything but to stare helplessly. Her whole world was crumbling to bits if these people were speaking the truth. And she was starting to doubt herself.

"I'm simply telling it as it is", dog boy said and returned to stare at the wall. Frowning. "She's in denial".

Inari felt something shatter inside of her. Was she truly? Of all the things she had denied the existence of demons and ghosts along with that western legend about a giant ape-man, were at the top of her list. Surely it was impossible. But then one might claim her a hypocrite. She was after all in her own right unnatural. A shudder of a breath left Inari's lungs. "I-I...ah", she stuttered. Then she locked her lips. There was nothing for her to say.

"Wait…", the monk suddenly spoke. He was gaping at the dog boy, brows furrowed but with a look of realization in his eyes. "She's a half-demon, a _hanyô_?".

Dog boy nodded. "I couldn't tell at first because her smell was so strange", he said. He sniffed the air, then turned to look upon Inari's quavering form. "Do you know you smell of fire?".

Inari frowned. She was using blackberry shampoo. Ever since she had been a kid that had been one of her favorite smells, and the reason her bed near always smelled like the obsidian shaded treat. But somehow she smelled of fire? She quirked an eyebrow at the dog boy, still he wouldn't elaborate. Was it even possible for the boy to smell her from all the way across the hut?

"So, who would be your demon parent then? Do you know?", Higurashi asked. She was curious and Inari couldn't fault her for that. Nevertheless a seething irritation, coupled with the lingering feelings of detachment and utter confusion burned through her as Higurashi spoke. It was exhausting to feel, and her legs were ready to give in.

"My mother was too kind, she can't have...". Inari felt her heart pounding hastily in her ears. It couldn't be healthy having her pulse beat so fast, so many times during what couldn't be more than two hours. Joined with the stress of nearly dying. "...it's simply not true".

"This is causing her distress, she should be resting", the old woman said. She made to grab at Inari's left arm, but the younger woman was naturally faster. It didn't take more than a twitch to move her hand out of the old womans reach. And she disregarded everything the old woman said.

"I have to go home", Inari spoke. There was conviction behind her words, however the lump in her throat - threatening to cause tears -, made her voice sound defeated and dull instead. Upon trembling legs she stepped around the fire and the old woman sitting beside it, before locking her gaze with the bamboo drape. Thereupon Inari crouched, her vision swimming, and put her right hand once again in the flames. The comforting warmth swallowed her hand whole.

"What are you -", Higurashi squeaked. Stunned at the young woman's sudden, albeit still clumsily executed, act. It must have looked strange too. The hand in the fire had lastly been an accident yet there Inari was doing the same thing again only voluntarily.

"It helps with the headache", she muttered solemnly. Then she removed the hand from the flames and put the burning palm against her forehead. A timid smile spread upon her lips, and she rose to stand. There was an immediate effect upon her headache as the flames touched the skin there. The hurt lessened within a heartbeat, even as it did not completely vanish. Inari suspected that would take a while, yet a small victory was a victory nonetheless.

Swaying in her steps she limps toward the door frame. Ignoring any protests the strange people in the room had. She could hear a bird chirping again from outside, and just as Inari grabs onto the bamboo drape a breeze smelling of earth and mountain rushes through the area. The air was fresher than that in Tokyo, and puzzled she pulls the drape aside. Her eyes widen at the sight before her.

There was a small, pitiful village, vastly stretching out before her like a drawing from the 1500s during the civil wars. With small houses and smaller roads to walk along, and a broad rice field beyond its borders, the village was a dying relic from ages past. It was something Inari had never thought to see during her lifetime - as she had never thought to move from the populated cities where everything was new. There was a river with surprisingly clean looking water running next to the village, a rift between the rice fields and the community. The houses were built of wood, some carriages she could see along the dirt roads were built of wood and the feudal bell tower one would ring in cases of danger, standing in the middle of it all, was also made of wood. Everything man made Inari could see was built of wood or possibly straw, and even in the distance there was no sign of anything made during modern times. It was a feudal village only, even as Inari should have been in the most modern city in Japan.

Rustling comes from within the hut behind her but Inari barely notices as she steps outside and lets the drape fall closed behind her. So stunned is she she can only gawk. Frightfully aware that she is deeply in trouble, with no way back to the capital and the only comfort being the burning hand at her sweaty forehead. A comfort she soon disregards.

Inari hears the mumbled words of Higurashi saying; "I'm going to walk with her. Alone", then the drapery is pulled open a second time. With silent footfalls Higurashi approaches Inari and stands beside her. Quiet. As though she were waiting for Inari to speak first, or she had no idea what to say.

After a long pause of stillness, the crow sitting on a branch from the tree standing next to the hut having crowed once or twice, Inari finally breaks the silence. "Wh-where am I", she mumbles. Her voice as croaky as it had been when she had just woken up.

Higurashi sighs. "Not on the shrine grounds". There was an awkward silence only interrupted by the third crowing of the crow. Higurashi turns thereafter and starts walking down one of the roads. "Come, I'll take you to the place where you can travel home from", she says. Inari doesn't want to follow at first - she has no shoes on and only a thin _nagajuban_ , and she doesn't know Higurashi well enough to wholly trust her -, but as she sees what the girl is carrying with her Inari feels she has no choice. Even less than before in the very least.

The _Hyakudai no ken_ looked the same as the night before. Scarred cloth and with but a fragment of the real thing visible. Still there was something strange about it. Inari could swear she was hearing the thumping of a pulse from the thing, and she dared not leave it in the hands of the girl naively walking along the road ahead of her.

* * *

Inari had no idea how long the pair had been walking. But the sun had arisen from a red dot in the horizon to a glaring ball of fire in the middle of the sky by the time they reached the other end of the large forest not too far away from the village, where a vast meadow opened up before them. Still following the same road they had started with. The hike had been slow. Agonizingly slow due to Inari's injuries, and she couldn't for the life of her understand why they lingered so long even as they were shallow. Her legs did stop aching as she walked, and some of her strength returned to her being. Albeit gradually.

As soon as she and Higurashi had reached the outskirts of the meadow however Inari halted. It was a vast plain, green grass and flowers as far as one could see - until the surrounding forest swallowed the greenery. What captured Inari's eye was the old abandoned well built in the middle of the whole scene. As pretty as a picture the place was, but the well seemed an odd thing to be placed so far from the village.

"Wait, Miss Higurashi", she spoke. The girl halted a few paces from Inari, gazing back with a puzzled expression. They had not spoken at all since they departed from the hut but Inari felt it was time. She needed answers, even if they would not satisfy. "Where are we, exactly?", she asked.

Higurashi furrowed her brows, and heaved out a long, weighty sigh. It was a sound marred with heavy truths. And suddenly Inari felt she might not want all her questions answered. Higurashi didn't give her the chance to take back the question. "This is...four hundred and fifty years in the past. We are in Tokyo, only it doesn't exist yet", the girl said.

Inari didn't whether to laugh, or scream. So what came out from her mouth was a mixture of the both, she choked on the very air she was breathing while trying to wheeze out a cough. The sound was like that of a dying dog. A gasping whine. "This is madness…", she muttered once she had reclaimed control over her breathing. She did not know what to believe at this point. Was that really the truth? Time travel seemed so very far fetched.

Higurashi frowned, sadly. "I'm sorry", she said and looked over to the abandoned well, "The well you fell into last night is connected to that one, it is like a bridge between our time and this...where demons are an everyday danger". There was a pause. "I'm so sorry you had to find out about your heritage like this".

Inari frowned, as Higurashi began walking again. She found her gaze fixated on the old well, considering the very small possibility that something like time travel, much less one via an old well, could actually exist. It was preposterous. Despite this Inari followed the girl again. Warnings of that she was possibly being lured to her death ignored.

The well was made of the same material as everything else in this area, Inari laid notice to once she stopped by the side of it. Frown ever present upon her lips. It was built out of wood, with overgrown grass growing all around it and a climbing plant obscuring nearly all signs of it being a well. Again Inari would admit to it being a pretty sight, but it was not one she was interested in a the moment.

She watched the girl place the 'hyakudai no ken' on the ground beside her, and lean over the side of the well's walls, staring down into the empty thing. Nervously biting at her lower lip. Inari glanced down also but saw nothing save dirt at the bottom, and a dangly rope ladder attached to the side the girl was leaning against. The thing was nothing special really, and Inari had the inclination she should head back to the village and possibly ask the villagers for help. One of them had to have a car, or preferably a phone with which she could call the grandparents. The older Hinotes would have been happy to come and take her away from this monstrosity of a disaster.

"Here, this is it, the Bone Eater's Well, you simply climb down the ladder here and …", Higurashi said and made a gesture with her hands. She looked up from the well and turned to Inari. Watching curiously for what the older woman would so. Inari did not know if she should pity the girl or run as far as she could from this place.

She settled for neither as it was. "And then I'm back? Do you realize how absolutely insane this sounds?", she inquired. Unbelieving.

"I do", Higurashi stated heedlessly. "I came here the first time and had a panic attack, it was horrible, and stays quite the vivid memory".

Inari grunted. She despised that the girl acted so very honestly, as there was little reason save the insane things she claimed, to doubt her more than her perceived honesty Inari despised that she had little to no choice than to follow the words of the delusional woman. If the claimed time travel did not work - which it would not in the mind of Inari -, she would plainly have to run.

"I am following the words of a madwoman…", Inari muttered. Then she walked up to the side of the well where the ladder was and climbed over the wooden frame. It was uncomfortable with the injuries still lingering. The ladder was rough and not just slightly annoying to climb down, and once her naked feet met the ground she discovered something even more disturbing. From high above Inari could not have seen it, but on foot so near the white bones buried beneath the dirt - albeit not completely - were obvious. Inari squeaked as she stepped upon one of these remains. There was apparently a good reason for it being called the Bone Eater's Well.

The inside of the well was fairly lit due to the blazing sun, but the stone walls which made up the lower part of the well were suffocating. Inari did not like it. And the disapproval she had of the situation worsened as Higurashi again stared down the well. Obscuring some of the sun's light.

"You're not gone…", the girl muttered. Only just loud enough for Inari to hear. "Try to jump, or tap the ground".

Inari felt like a fool as she did what the girl suggested. She jumped, and hissed as she landed upon another piece of bone on the ground. Then she tapped her foot against both the dirt, one of the bones and one of the stones making out the wall. Still nothing happened. She should have known.

"Miss Higurashi, it's not working", Inari growled. Disquieted and angry. There was nothing more frustrating than to be played a fool when weakened. She strode over to the ladder again, grabbing on to the rope, when something heavy fell down from the top of the well and landed by her feet. Inari shrieked.

"I'm sorry!", Higurashi yelled from atop ground. Panic latched to her voice like a leech. "I did not mean for it to land to near you, I'm sorry!".

Inari looked down to the thing which had been thrown. It was the sword. She could still hear the thumping. A constant pulse in her ears as though it was calling out to her, even if she did not actually want to touch it ever again.

Inari snarled. "Why did you throw it?".

She could see Higurashi visibly blanch at her harsh tone but paid no mind to it. The irritation was there so there was no reason to conceal it, she had enough cause to act upon it as it were. She did not like the well. It was damp, it was discomforting and it had given her false hope where there was none.

"I thought that maybe the sword would help", Higurashi says. Apologetic. "Try to hold it".

Inari glanced down to the sword. Dislike was one thing but the sword terrified her. She had been so adamant to buy it last night, even as she despised whom she had to buy it from. But it had practically come alive and nearly cost her her life. With hands shaking she reluctantly crouched down and grabbed at the cloth. Immediately the pulse of the sword adapted the rhythm of her heartbeat. It should have been distressing, but instead Inari felt her fear shimmer into nothing. This was the complete opposite of what had happened last night. And even as the sword began to heat up against the hand which held it, it didn't scald her. It felt like the fire inside the hut. Comforting.

Of course this did not change the fact that the well was not - somehow, magically - transporting her home. _It sounds so very stupid_ , she thought and her frown deepened.

"Miss Higurashi, perhaps I should just climb up again…", Inari sighed. Her anger dissolving away to plain exhaustion. The hoax was not something she was willing to be a part of anymore, and she did not know why she had in the first place climbed down the ladder. Hope perhaps. But it was a foolish notion she wanted to be rid of.

"I'm coming down", Higurashi then professed. She had ignored what Inari said and stubbornly swung her legs over the side of the well. The girl was limber and had a much easier time climbing down the ladder than Inari. Perhaps she _had_ done it many times before. When she was about halfway down she jumped the last distance. Landing upon the bone of something and crushing it under the soles of her feet. She was lucky to have shoes.

As the girl met the ground however it didn't take more than a heartbeat for her to vanish into nothingness. Suddenly she was there no more. There was nothing but dust where the girl had landed, and Inari could no nothing but to stare. A slow sense of dread crawling over her back like a spider. The girl...had spoken the truth?

 _Impossible!_ Inari couldn't tear her eyes from the spot where Higurashi should have stood. Staring as though she had seen a ghost - and she might as well have. _This can't be happening_ , she thought faintly as her breathing began to hasten. Panic was seeping through her skin like acid was raining down on top of her. It didn't make any sense. Delusion one could explain, but this...this was magic through and through. The thought made her sickly.

Just then Higurashi reappeared through...nothing truly. There was nothing to signal her return and she had simply appeared before Inari again. The sight was shocking even a second time. So much so Inari had to lean back against the wall behind her, a hand to her mouth, in a desperate attempt not to puke. She was already feeling the acid taste of vomit making it's way up her throat.

Higurashi frowned, her brows knitted as worry latched onto her features. "How come? You should have been able to go with be then", she murmured. There was anxiety in her voice. A familiar sound. But Inari couldn't think logically enough to even register much of what Higurashi said.

"I - I", Inari groaned. She could not speak properly. The panic was coming over her like a tidal wave. Killing every ounce of logical thought in her mind.

"It's like you are cut off from the well…", Higurashi mumbled. Only then did it seem she noticed how pale and frightfully horrid Inari must have looked. The girl immediately strode forward, placing her hands - so cold - at Inari's shoulders before she forced Inari to look into her eyes. "Oh Gods, are you alright?", she asked.

Inari slowly shook her head. "I think I am going to puke…", she mumbled through the hand against her mouth. She feared if she were to take it away she truly was going to vomit. And it wouldn't be pleasant at all.

Higurashi regarded Inari with an incredulous expression. Then she removed her hands from the older woman's shoulders and turned to the ladder. "We should go back to Kaede's house. This isn't normal behavior for the well and…". Higurashi gripped at the rope ladder before looking back at Inari. "You should really be resting..".

Inari nodded and waited for Higurashi to climb the whole of the ladder before she even meant to grab it. She was dizzy, and near lost her grip on the rope more than once during her climb. It was hard work but as she left the confinements of the well and stepped onto the grass she finally felt just a little better. Far from fine, she was dizzy and her mind had come to a complete standstill, but in the very least she had managed to not puke. With a solemn nod to Higurashi the two were off again. Not a word was spoken as they walked the dirt road back to the hut.

* * *

 **Japanese words of this chapter:**

 _ **Obasan:**_ Grandmother

 ** _Miko:_** Shrine Maiden or Priestess

 _ **Kimono:**_ Traditional Japanese garment

 _ **Futon:**_ Traditional Japanese bed

 _ **Sencha:**_ A sort of Japanese Green tea

 _ **Gyokuro:**_ Another sort of green tea, but very expensive

 _ **Hakama:**_ Traditional pants

 _ **Hanyô:**_ Half-demon

 _ **Nagajuban:** _ A robe one wears beneath the outer garment (Kimono).

 _ **Hyakudai no Ken:**_ Sword of a hundred generations

* * *

 **A/N: I hope you liked it as much as I did writing it. Inari is a very complicated person, both to write about and to understand, but her beliefs are very deep rooted and to discover that something like the magic of the well exists would cause her a panic attack - one of the worst sorts - as well as an existential crisis, which is why I wrote the chapter so heavy with emotion and angst. But we did get an introduction to her demonic abilities also! Tell me what you think of it, and the chapter in general! If you have any advice, please advice me! I am always open to critisism as it will help me grow as a writer.**


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